Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 125 No.
Your Newspaper - Toombs, Montgomery & Wheeler County, Georgia
January 25, 2023
The Vidalia Advance Established 1901
No, You Can’t Believe
‘The Science’
See Lowry 7 A
ntt
The Lyons Progress Established 1894
Indecision may
or may not be
my problem.
- Jimmy Buffett
News
BYTES
Tales From
the Altamaha
Tryouts
Auditions for the 2023
Tales From the Alta
maha, "Murder, May
hem and Stranger
Things," began on Jan
uary 24 and will con
tinue on January 26 at
6 p.m. at the Blue Mar
quee in Lyons.
Greater Vidalia
Chamber Annual
Meeting
The Geek Squad will
entertain at the
Greater Vidalia Cham
ber's annual meeting
on Friday, February 3,
at the Vidalia Commu
nity Center. Doors open
at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are
$75. For information,
call the Chamber at
912-537-4466.
Soapbox Movie
Premiere
"Blue Lightning," which
was partially filmed in
Lyons, will premiere at
The Blue Marquee on
Saturday, January 28.
A cast meet and greet
will be held at 4 p.m.,
while the showing will
begin at 5 p.m. Tickets
are $10 each, and
guests are advised to
wear their "Sunday
Best." For more infor
mation, call Lyons Main
Street at 912-785-0765.
PAL Art Gallery
Open
The photography of
Evan Riekhof is being
featured in a free ex
hibit in the third floor
mezzanine art gallery
at The PAL Theatre in
downtown Vidalia.
Hours are Monday-Fri-
day, 10 a.m. until 5
p.m., Saturday and
Sunday, 3 until 5 p.m.
Judge Reeves Responds
To Formal Charges
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail. com
Chief Superior Court Judge
Robert Reeves of the Middle Ju
dicial Circuit has submitted his
response to the Georgia Judi
cial Qualifications Commission
(JQC) regarding its 58 counts
of alleged misconduct listed in
the formal charges presented to
the judge on November 16.
Judge Reeves was elected
to the Superior Court in 2007,
and has served as the Chief Su
perior Court Judge in Candler,
Emanuel, Jefferson, Toombs,
and Washington Counties since
2020. He is accused of mak
ing improper and intemperate
comments and gender-based
improper comments, having im
proper contact with court per
sonnel, and fundraising for and
promotion of an advocacy cen
ter, all of which led to violations
of the judicial code.
Please see Reeves page 9A
Judge Robert Reeves
Suspect in Two Armed Robberies
Apprehended After Traffic Stop
UNIFIED APPROACH - Several officers and deputies from
the Lyons Police Department and Toombs County Sher
iff's Office worked together to locate and apprehend the
armed robbery suspect.
Kenny Battle
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By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
A man suspected of committing
two armed robberies last week was
taken into custody after a Toombs
County Sheriff’s Deputy, Captain Jor
dan Right, and Sheriff Alvie Right, Jr.,
recognized him during a traffic stop.
The Toombs County 911 Dis
patch received a call at 11:39 a.m. on
January 17 reporting an armed rob
bery at the Open Air Market conve
nience store in Lyons. The caller said
that a black male had come into the
store with a gun and robbed the clerk
of cash. The clerk was unharmed. The
Lyons Police Department quickly ar
rived on scene and issued a be-on-the-
lookout (BOLO) order for a white
Chrysler 200 being driven by the sus
pect.
Less than 20 minutes later, at
11:53 a.m., the Toombs County 911
Dispatch received another report of an
armed robbery, but this time at a Nor-
mantown convenience store, which
is located at the intersection of Old
Normantown Road and New Nor-
Please see Suspect page 3A
Vidalia Police Capture Six
Suspects in Theft Ring
IN THIS ISSUE
Editorials Page 6A
Obituaries Page 8A
From the Record Page 5A
Your Mind On Line Page 11A
Sports Page 1 B
Coll 537-3131
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By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The Vidalia Police Depart
ment (VPD) Investigative Ser
vices, assisted by the Toombs
County Sheriff’s Office, Lyons
Police Department, Georgia
Department of Corrections, and
Georgia Bureau of Investigations
- Southeastern Regional Drug
Enforcement Office, brought six
suspects into custody in the early
morning hours of Friday, January
20.
Police executed a search war
rant at Raymonia Apartments,
located at 1208 Easter Drive, and
arrested six individuals, ranging
in age from 16 to 52. These ar
rests come after a series of auto
mobile break-ins and thefts that
began on Tuesday, January 17.
Anna Beth Sharpton reached
out to the community on Janu
ary 18 for help in locating her
vehicle after it was stolen from
her family’s residence sometime
between the night of January 17
or early morning of January 18.
“The car was parked at my house
around 9:30 p.m. on [January]
17. We woke up around 5 a.m.
Please see Theft page 2A